Brittany's eyes trailed over the kingdom's notice board. "Princess lost. Seeking adventurers to help rescue. Most likely perilous." Read an advertisement on a fancy cream-colored scroll.
"You'd think the King would try a little harder than that, don't you?" Brittany said to her sister Katrina.
Katrina looked up from her book. "You're not really considering that, are you?"
Brittany shrugged. "Maybe. I'm a bard. I follow adventurers. I write their stories down."
"Yes, well, I'm a bard too. And this bard can't help but notice that sign says 'most likely perilous'."
Brittany rolled her eyes. "Perilous for those actually doing the adventuring. I plan on being an innocent bystander."
"Planning? That means you're really going."
Brittany shrugged. "I'm bored."
"That's no reason for us to go gallivanting off."
"Us?"
Katrina sighed. "An innocent bystander is no good without an alibi."
Brittany slung an arm around her sister. "I know I could count on you," she grinned. "To the palace!"
"No packing?"
"Not until we're provided funds from the kingdom!"
-elsewhere inside the castle-
Aro swung around a corner just in time to stay out of view of a couple of maids walking by. "Ye gods," she murmured to herself. "How many useless women can they have wandering around this castle?"
After their footsteps faded, Aro tipped her head out again. Empty.
Padding silently, she hurried forward making it to the next dark corner. She wiped her brow, but just as she was creeping forward a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She looked up into the eyes of a young man in armor. "Where do you think you're going?"
Aro grinned winningly. "Just looking for the toilet?"
"Haven't been invented yet."
"Damn. Er, I was just.... what's that over there?!"
The guard's head turned just enough for Aro to give a squirm and fall out of the guard's grip. "Hey!" he yelled, but she was already running down the hallway. "Stop!"
Aro heard the guard's metallic footsteps clank after her as she ran darting in and out of hallways. "What is this place, a labyrinth? If I run into David Bowe..."
She grasped a door open and hurled herself inside, shutting the door and locking it quickly. She sighed and leaned on the door, attempting to catch her breath.
"Are you here for the adventure too?" asked a voice and Aro looked up and immediately dropped her head again. "You're majesty!" she peeked an eye over in his direction. Three girls were sitting in front of them. One a blonde, one a redhead, and one an exotic looking island girl. 'Oh my god, I've waled in on the king and his whores'. Aro thought to herself.
"Please," the kind waved a hand. "No such formalities when you're here to help save my daughter."
"Daughter?" Aro raised her head.
"You must have read my scroll? And that's why your here in the castle?"
"Uhhh yes. Whatever reason you just gave that is EXACTLY why I'm in this castle."
A sudden pounding came at the door. "Get out here, you little sneak!" came the voice of the guard.
The king got a puzzled look on his face and stood up. "That sounds like..." he came over the door and unlocked it. Opening it slowly he peered out. "Shadow?"
The guard saluted. "Your majesty?" he said in equal surprise.
"Shadow, come in, come in, we were just discussing the upcoming, possibly perilous, adventure of saving my daughter."
Shadow stepped into the room and saw Aro. "There you are!" he started towards her. "What have you taken, thief?"
"Thief? Oh, no." The king laughed. "She's here for the adventure, aren't you."
"Yeah, I'm here for the adventure," she stuck her tongue out at Shadow. "I'm here for... wait did you say possibly perilous?"
"That he did!" said the blonde far too cheerfully.
The redhead put her head into her hands. "Brittany I'm not sure this a good idea."
"Nonsense, Katrina, of course it is."
"If she's going to be going to going, I'm going too. I'm not trusting her."
"I guess I'd better start over now that you're all here." The king clapped his hands. "You're all about to embark in a quest. A quest to save... Princess Ijouseiyoku."
The island girl gave a start and Brittany turned to her eagerly. "Yes?"
"Its just that..." the island girl began quietly. "in my language... Ijouseiyoku means...." she gave a small smile. "Never mind."
The king gave a smile, rather unphased by his missing daughter. "Well, why don't we start with introductions?" he pointed to himself. "I am the king!" he said brightly, then nudged shadow.
"......Shadow." He said gruffly.
Aro offered her name and the blonde and redhead reiterated theirs as Brittany and Kat. They all turned to the island girl ready to try and memorize her exotic name. She cleared her throat importantly. "Um... Chris."
"Chris, right." Kat wrote it down, with a quick underline.
The king grabbed the candle and held it in front of his face in an attempt to be spooky. "You will be traveling many miles to evil land of Gaia where an evil queen, Agatha, has captured my daughter. Here's a map." He straightened up. "That's about it. Go on!"
Brittany raised a brow. "What a mood spoiler. But first, shouldn't we discuss funds?"
"Ahh, yes!" aro leaned forward. "Funds!" no had mentioned gold might be involved in this.
The king reached into his coin purse and pulled out cards and handed them to each of them. "These are Gaia cash cards. They should handle any of your expenses."
"And if we're successful?"
"If you return with my daughter you shall get you choice of a kiki or a coco."
"Slippers, or the real thing?"
"Real thing"
Kat took the map into her hands. "This was done in crayons."
"Good luck!" the king said suddenly and hurried out of the room.
The four looked at each other in awkward silence. "Oh," the king popped his head back into the room. "Feel free to visit our castle healer before you leave."
Aro shrugged. "I've got a papercut I wouldn't mind having healed. Its a biyotch."
The four of them traipsed towards the healer, Kat taking notes and shadow watching over Aro closely to make sure she kept her hands in her pockets.
When they entered, all of them had to run their eyes in suddenly to try and combat the blinding whiteness of the room.
"Hello," said a breathy voice. "I'm Kira, the healer. Let me turn down the lights, I was tanning."
brizybdarling@yahoo.com: "Lights haven't been invented yet. Or tans" Shadow insisted.
Kira shrugged and turned them down anyway.
"What can I do for you?"
Aro held up her finger. "Got kind of an emergency here."
Kira looked at the finger and scowled. "Hmmmmmm," she said and then suddenly gave it a lick.
"What the heck?" Aro pulled her finger back.
"Hey," Aro examined it. "Its better."
aro-the-amazing@hotmail.com: xD
"Yeah," Kira sighed. "I'm a healer but the only thing about me that heals is my saliva."
Kat looked up from her notes. "You heal people by spitting on them?"
"Pretty much." Kira shrugged. "You use the gifts you got."
"You boyfriend must have one healthy di-" Katrina clamped her hand over Brittany's mouth
."You'd think the King would try a little harder than that, don't you?" Brittany said to her sister Katrina.
Katrina looked up from her book. "You're not really considering that, are you?"
Brittany shrugged. "Maybe. I'm a bard. I follow adventurers. I write their stories down."
"Yes, well, I'm a bard too. And this bard can't help but notice that sign says 'most likely perilous'."
Brittany rolled her eyes. "Perilous for those actually doing the adventuring. I plan on being an innocent bystander."
"Planning? That means you're really going."
Brittany shrugged. "I'm bored."
"That's no reason for us to go gallivanting off."
"Us?"
Katrina sighed. "An innocent bystander is no good without an alibi."
Brittany slung an arm around her sister. "I know I could count on you," she grinned. "To the palace!"
"No packing?"
"Not until we're provided funds from the kingdom!"
-elsewhere inside the castle-
Aro swung around a corner just in time to stay out of view of a couple of maids walking by. "Ye gods," she murmured to herself. "How many useless women can they have wandering around this castle?"
After their footsteps faded, Aro tipped her head out again. Empty.
Padding silently, she hurried forward making it to the next dark corner. She wiped her brow, but just as she was creeping forward a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She looked up into the eyes of a young man in armor. "Where do you think you're going?"
Aro grinned winningly. "Just looking for the toilet?"
"Haven't been invented yet."
"Damn. Er, I was just.... what's that over there?!"
The guard's head turned just enough for Aro to give a squirm and fall out of the guard's grip. "Hey!" he yelled, but she was already running down the hallway. "Stop!"
Aro heard the guard's metallic footsteps clank after her as she ran darting in and out of hallways. "What is this place, a labyrinth? If I run into David Bowe..."
She grasped a door open and hurled herself inside, shutting the door and locking it quickly. She sighed and leaned on the door, attempting to catch her breath.
"Are you here for the adventure too?" asked a voice and Aro looked up and immediately dropped her head again. "You're majesty!" she peeked an eye over in his direction. Three girls were sitting in front of them. One a blonde, one a redhead, and one an exotic looking island girl. 'Oh my god, I've waled in on the king and his whores'. Aro thought to herself.
"Please," the kind waved a hand. "No such formalities when you're here to help save my daughter."
"Daughter?" Aro raised her head.
"You must have read my scroll? And that's why your here in the castle?"
"Uhhh yes. Whatever reason you just gave that is EXACTLY why I'm in this castle."
A sudden pounding came at the door. "Get out here, you little sneak!" came the voice of the guard.
The king got a puzzled look on his face and stood up. "That sounds like..." he came over the door and unlocked it. Opening it slowly he peered out. "Shadow?"
The guard saluted. "Your majesty?" he said in equal surprise.
"Shadow, come in, come in, we were just discussing the upcoming, possibly perilous, adventure of saving my daughter."
Shadow stepped into the room and saw Aro. "There you are!" he started towards her. "What have you taken, thief?"
"Thief? Oh, no." The king laughed. "She's here for the adventure, aren't you."
"Yeah, I'm here for the adventure," she stuck her tongue out at Shadow. "I'm here for... wait did you say possibly perilous?"
"That he did!" said the blonde far too cheerfully.
The redhead put her head into her hands. "Brittany I'm not sure this a good idea."
"Nonsense, Katrina, of course it is."
"If she's going to be going to going, I'm going too. I'm not trusting her."
"I guess I'd better start over now that you're all here." The king clapped his hands. "You're all about to embark in a quest. A quest to save... Princess Ijouseiyoku."
The island girl gave a start and Brittany turned to her eagerly. "Yes?"
"Its just that..." the island girl began quietly. "in my language... Ijouseiyoku means...." she gave a small smile. "Never mind."
The king gave a smile, rather unphased by his missing daughter. "Well, why don't we start with introductions?" he pointed to himself. "I am the king!" he said brightly, then nudged shadow.
"......Shadow." He said gruffly.
Aro offered her name and the blonde and redhead reiterated theirs as Brittany and Kat. They all turned to the island girl ready to try and memorize her exotic name. She cleared her throat importantly. "Um... Chris."
"Chris, right." Kat wrote it down, with a quick underline.
The king grabbed the candle and held it in front of his face in an attempt to be spooky. "You will be traveling many miles to evil land of Gaia where an evil queen, Agatha, has captured my daughter. Here's a map." He straightened up. "That's about it. Go on!"
Brittany raised a brow. "What a mood spoiler. But first, shouldn't we discuss funds?"
"Ahh, yes!" aro leaned forward. "Funds!" no had mentioned gold might be involved in this.
The king reached into his coin purse and pulled out cards and handed them to each of them. "These are Gaia cash cards. They should handle any of your expenses."
"And if we're successful?"
"If you return with my daughter you shall get you choice of a kiki or a coco."
"Slippers, or the real thing?"
"Real thing"
Kat took the map into her hands. "This was done in crayons."
"Good luck!" the king said suddenly and hurried out of the room.
The four looked at each other in awkward silence. "Oh," the king popped his head back into the room. "Feel free to visit our castle healer before you leave."
Aro shrugged. "I've got a papercut I wouldn't mind having healed. Its a biyotch."
The four of them traipsed towards the healer, Kat taking notes and shadow watching over Aro closely to make sure she kept her hands in her pockets.
When they entered, all of them had to run their eyes in suddenly to try and combat the blinding whiteness of the room.
"Hello," said a breathy voice. "I'm Kira, the healer. Let me turn down the lights, I was tanning."
brizybdarling@yahoo.com: "Lights haven't been invented yet. Or tans" Shadow insisted.
Kira shrugged and turned them down anyway.
"What can I do for you?"
Aro held up her finger. "Got kind of an emergency here."
Kira looked at the finger and scowled. "Hmmmmmm," she said and then suddenly gave it a lick.
"What the heck?" Aro pulled her finger back.
"Hey," Aro examined it. "Its better."
aro-the-amazing@hotmail.com: xD
"Yeah," Kira sighed. "I'm a healer but the only thing about me that heals is my saliva."
Kat looked up from her notes. "You heal people by spitting on them?"
"Pretty much." Kira shrugged. "You use the gifts you got."
"You boyfriend must have one healthy di-" Katrina clamped her hand over Brittany's mouth
